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More
than a fourth of the Americans held prisoner in the last five U.S.
conflicts are now living. Records show that 142,233 Americans were
captured and interned during World War I, World War II, the Korean War,
the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and the Somalia and Kosovo conflicts.
This includes 81 women seized on Guam or in the Philippines during
World War II, and two during the Gulf War.
Of that total, an estimated 42,781 were living as of Jan. 1, 2002. This
includes 39,719 from World War II, 2,434 from the Korean War, 601 from
the Vietnam War, 23 from the Gulf War, one from Somalia and three from
the Kosovo Conflict.
|
Total |
WWI |
WWII |
Korea |
Vietnam |
Gulf |
Somalia |
Bosnia |
Kosovo |
| Captured &
Interned |
142,233 |
4,120 |
130,201 |
7,140 |
745 |
23 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
| Returned to
U.S.
Military Control |
125,208 |
3,973 |
116,129 |
4,418 |
661 |
23 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
| Refused
Repatriation |
21 |
0 |
0 |
21 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Died
while POW |
17,001 |
147 |
14,072 |
2,701 |
84 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Alive, Jan.
2002 |
42,781 |
0 |
39,719 |
2,434 |
601 |
23 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
Statistical information on American
POWs courtesy of Charles A. Stenger
of the American Ex-Prisoners of War Association.
Congress defines a prisoner of war as a person who, while serving on
active duty, was forcibly detained by an enemy government or a hostile
force, during a period of war or in situations comparable to war.
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